Zhu Zhu pets mania sweeping the country... are you caught up too?

I never gave much thought to Zhu Zhu pets before this past week. I attended a Twitter party where they were giving them away as prizes (no win) and found out that my kids were ga-ga over these furry little Hampsters. A Zhu Zhu is the must have toy this year and thankfully they don't cost an arm and a leg in retail stores. The problem is finding them in retail stores. Target and TRU are limiting them to one per person per day and that basically means if you have two kids, you are out of luck (unless you bring a friend or sister along and slip them 10 bucks to buy it for you.)

No one seems to have these Zhu Zhu pets. I was told to call every day and to call early as they sell out even before banks open their doors at 9 AM in some cases. Hallmarks may not even have them unless they are corporate stores (this from an independently owned store who lamented that the Zhu Zhu site lists Hallmark on the site as carrying it even though the independents aren't getting them...)

So what can you do? Sign up for alerts at sites like Target and hope for the best. Wait in line, beg your friends and relatives to try to secure a Zhu Zhu pet for you and search the net for contests to try to win one. My hubby checked eBay and these are up to about 20-30 bucks now (retail about 8 bucks) so the profit margin is high on these. If you can find them, congrats! Me, I'll keep trying and worse case scenario, I'll get one after the Christmas hub bub dies down.

Disney Movie Rewards - super fast shipping

I recently redeemed for a prize on the Disney Movie Rewards site and it shipped super fast. Within a day or two of redemption, I received an email stating that the items were shipped. They arrived within about a week and a half! I plan to use them as Christmas gifts, so the timing was perfect.

When I redeemed, it did say 6-8 weeks for delivery, so I knew it might be too close to count on arrival before Christmas. I was pleasantly surprised that it was fulfilled so quickly. YMMV, but if you have Disney Movie Rewards, be sure to browse to see if there's something there that your little one would love to have under the tree.

Hot coupon spotted:$1.25/3 any - Jello, Baker's Chocolate, & Philadelphia Cream Cheese

I found this hot coupon at a local store and it is one of the nicest coupons I have found in quite a while. The coupon expires in March, 2010, so lots of time to use and hold out for sales. Since the language on the coupon does not say you must buy one of each of the listed desserts, you can buy any combination thereof. Jello anyone? Jello has been priced at .50 per box in recent weeks and I've seen shelf tags indicating that the .50 price will last well past Christmas.

So, why am I so giddy? How much Jello does a girl need? Well, buying 3 boxes and using the coupon = about 8.33 cents per box. That is so cheap! Jello is also something that is listed on many donation lists for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is a great thing to donate because it is a dessert that requires little preparation (just hot water/cold water). I have several boxes of Jello that will be donated to needy families.

The coupon does beep, so the cashier will need to key it in, so probably best not to use it in a self-checkout aisle.

Save-a-lot - Thanksgiving dinner for 4 for about $15!

If you have a Save-a-lot nearby, you may want to check out their Thanksgiving dinner promotion. They are advertising the fixings for a Thanksgiving dinner for just about $15 (with coupon).

Included in their list: Honeysuckle turkey, canned veggies, sweet potatoes, a pie, cranberry sauce, stuffing, mac & cheese and some rolls.

YMMV as prices differ by market, but be sure to print out that $5 off $20 coupon to get your deal. Even if you aren't planning to buy your Thanksgiving turkey there, that $5 off $20 coupon says any purchase so buy some groceries if you are a frequent shopper.

LINK to Save-a-lot Thanksgiving deal (coupon link also)

Link to other Save-a-lot printable coupons

Vacation rentals can help save money on trips

Have you ever thought of a vacation rental as a way to save money on trip? When you think about going on vacation, many people automatically start searching for available hotels. Why not think about a vacation rental instead?

Vacationrental.org makes it easy to find the right vacation rental for your intended trip - be it a beach, skiing or golfing vacation that you have in mind. For beach vacationers, be sure to check out their Fort Lauderdale vacation rentals or if you have a Disney vacation in mind, browse their Orlando vacation rentals.

During our first trip to Disney, we stayed off site in a cute condo. The warm weather turned unseasonably cold and we packed for warm weather, not biting cold! Fortunately, our condo unit had an apartment sized stacked washer and dryer. Thank goodness, since we ended up washing our one pair of pants each night.

You may even be able to find a home to rent for the week which will increase the comfort of your vacation. A vacation rental is perfect for large families or large groups traveling to destinations. A friend of mine recently had a family reunion of sorts at Disney in Orlando, Florida. A large group can rent a large home, split the cost, and still have lots of privacy for after their magical time at Disney comes to an end each night.


This post was sponsored by vacationrental.org.

Easy $10 at a Coinstar Machine: $40 in change earns you a $10 gift card

Now through 12/6/09, take your spare change totaling $40 or more to a participating Coinstar machine. Dump your change in and so long as your total is more than $40, you will get a form to complete to send in for a gift card worth $10.

Tips for this awesome deal:

1. Make sure you have $40 worth of change. Your total must exceed $40 to trigger this promotion.
   
2. Keep a copy of absolutely everything before you send it in the mail.
3. Be mindful that it takes 6-8 weeks for fulfillment, so you won't have this extra money to spend on Christmas gifts.
4. This promotion is limited to one per person, address, household.
5. Make sure your machine is participating. Typically this has been the machines that advertise trading your coins in for gift cards (in past experience).
   

To see the full rules for this promotion, click here.